A man mistakenly sent a message that read, "Help me kill my wife," to his former boss. The message was actually intended for a hitman.
The man was identified as Jeffery Scott Lytle and he wanted his wife and their 4-year-old daughter dead. The family is from Monroe, Washington.
After being arrested, Lytle was charged with criminal solicitation for the crime of first-degree murder. Syracuse.com reported he texted someone named "Shayne" as he wanted to take up an earlier offer to have his wife killed.
He allegedly offered Shayne to split the insurance payout of his wife, which was around $1 million. Lytle also allegedly told the hit man he could kill the 4-year-old because her insurance is worth $500,000, The Washington Post reported.
The man whom Lytle sent the text to was a former employer. That former boss called the cops on Lytle, thus an investigation was undertaken.
In a text message to Shayne, Lytle apparently provided information to arrange the killing. He told the killer he works at 5 a.m. while his wife's shift starts at 2 p.m. "So, if you can make a robbery gone wrong or make it an accident, she works at Walmart and she gets off at 11:00," Lytle wrote in the text.
Lytle said he wrote the text message after an argument with his wife. He claimed, however, the message was saved on his phone and his daughter might have unintentionally sent the text.
Lytle also denied he knows anyone by the name Shayne and it was only a name he came up with to vent when he wanted to. Lytle tried to convince authorities that he had no plans to harm his wife or daughter.
Police said Lytle was the one who sent the text and wanted his family dead. The have, however, not found an insurance policy covering his wife or daughter.
The phone of Lytle is yet to be further searched. A search warrant is still pending. Lytle is in custody and is on a $1 million bond.
